It has been a beautifully hot summer here in southern Alberta; after the long winter and cold spring we had, it’s such a delight! I haven’t wanted to turn the oven on for the past couple of weeks, but today was cooler and stormy, so I seized the chance to do some baking. I bought a large bag of lemons earlier in the week and it seemed that some of them were destined for one dessert in particular: lemon bars. With a bold lemon flavor and a soft, cakey texture, these bars are must-haves to tuck into picnic baskets and to share at potlucks and barbecues!
Lemon Bars
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter or margarine (if using salted butter, omit salt above)
2 eggs
Zest of 1 organic lemon (use Meyers if you don’t have regular lemons)
Juice of 1 organic lemon
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-by-9-inch baking dish with butter and dust lightly with flour, shaking off any excess. Set aside.
Zest and juice the lemon into a small bowl and set aside.
In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, salt (if using) and butter until combined and creamy.
Add the eggs to the lemon juice and zest and mix thoroughly. Add the liquid ingredients to the flour mixture and combine. Pour batter into the prepared baking dish and bake for 25 minutes, or until the edges of the bars just start to pull away from the pan. Remove and cool completely before cutting and serving.
